Paper guide and holder



Dec. 30., 196,9 H. G. M. VAN' bR STAP 3,486,711

PAPER GUIDE AND HOLDER Filed Jan. 26, 1968 .2 Sheets-Sheet l Y INVENTOR.

Hendricus G. M. von der Stop BY JRS Z ATTORNEY Dec. 30, 1969 H. G. M. vAN" DER STAP 3,486,711

PAPER GUIDE AND HOLDER Filed aan. 2e, 196s 2 sheets-sheet 2 o N w T I z s d N D LL.

o V l r r "v5 v NVENTOR.

' `v Hendricus G. M. von der Stap ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,486,711 PAPER GUIDE AND HOLDER Hendricus G. M. van der Stap, The Hague, Netherlands,

assignor to GAF Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 700,981 Int. Cl. B65h 19/02; A47b 5/08 U.S. Cl. 242-76 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a guide and paper receptacle adapted to be detachably mounted onto a photocopy reproduction machine. The receptacle is reversibly mountable so that in one position it comprises a paper storage or holding trough for rolled up webs of original papers and a guide surface, and in a reversed mounted position, it constitutes a guide tray of increased dimensions.

This invention relates to a guide tray for conveying original paper into a photocopy developing apparatus and, more particularly, to a novel guide tray adapted to be reversibly mounted on the apparatus to provide a paper storage receptacle for continuous webs of original paper being fed into the apparatus.

In photocopy developing machines, as presently utilized in the industry, the orginals which are to be imaged, are generally `conveyed into the developing machine by infeed rollers or belts which are usually positioned within the machine. The originals are positioned on a suitable guide -surface or tray which is attached to the developing machine so as to be adjacent to an aperture or infeed slot in proximity to the infeed rollers or belts. An operator may then push or convey the originals along the tray or guide surface until the leading edges of the originals extend into the machine through the infeed slotv or aperture and are contacted by the infeed rollers or belts for continued conveyance into the machine. Heretofore, the trays or guide surfaces employed for the aforedescribed purposes have been simply sheet metal or wire racks which provide a generally planar, smooth surface for the originals being conveyed toward the developing apparatus or machine. At times, the originals which are to be processed through the machine are comprised of extremely long sheets or Webs of paper. These are frequently in the form of rolled webs and, consequently, become rather cumbersome and dicult to control by an operator feeding the originals toward the developing apparatus.

The paper guide tray and storage receptacle, according to the present invention, obviates the drawbacks and disadvantages encountered in the prior art and in industry, by providing a convertible guide tray which may be reversibly mounted on the developing apparatus so as to accommodate a wide range of original paper lengths. To this effect, the novel guide tray and storage receptacle includes a generally trough-shaped portion adapted to hold rolled-up folded webs of originals. The leading edge of the originals may be conveyed from the storage or paper holding trough of the receptacle to a guide surface which extends toward the infeed portion of the photocopy developing or reproduction apparatus. Since the web of original paper is stored and supported within the troughshaped portion of the guide tray and receptacle, the operator conveying the originals into the apparatus can employ both hands in properly guiding the originals.

Another feature of the present novel guide tray and paper holding or storage receptacle lies in that it may be detached from the apparatus by a simple physical manipulation and rotated so as to be reversibly mounted whereby its previous bottom surface now constitutes the up- 3,486,71 1 Patented Dec. 30, 1969 "ice per surface of the guide tray. In effect, this will convert the .bottom portion of the paper holding or storage receptacle into a guide surface for the originals, and thus provide a guide tray of greater surface length adapted to accommodate originals of varying lengths.

Accordingly, it is primary object of the present invention to provide for an improved and novel paper guide tray and storage receptacle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for a reversible paper guide tray and storage receptacle adapted to be mounted on a photocopy reproduction apparatus.

A further object of the present invention is to provide for a photocopy reproduction apparatus including a reversibly mounted paper infeed guide adapted to be converted from a guide tray into a combined guide tray and paper holder for continuous webs of original papers.

These and other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference tothe following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, in section, of a guide tray and paper storage receptacle -according to the present invention mounted on a photocopy reproduction apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in section, of the guide tray and paper storage receptacle mounted on the apparatus in a reversed position;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the guide tray and storage receptacle taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view taken along line 4 4 in FIG. 1;

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters design-ate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, an original paper guide tray and storage receptacle is generally designated as 10. The receptacle 10 is detachably mounted onto a photocopy reproduction apparatus 12 so as to form a guide for originals being conveyed into the apparatus.

The receptacle 10, which may be formed of sheet metal, includes a generally rectangular box-like elongate section 14 having an upper horizontal wall 1-6, depending vertical front and rear walls 18 and 20, and a horizontal bottom wall 22. Bottom wall 22 extends into a projecting coplanar wall portion 24 which is bent up at its end to forma vertical wall 26 parallel to wall 18. This, in effect, will provide an elongate trough 28 encompassed by walls 18, 24 and 26, with the trou-gh being adapted to receive a rolled-up web of original paper W. In order to provide a stiffening effect to the sheet lmetal walls of trough 28, wall 18 may be extended to include portions 30', 32 which extend along the inner surfaces of Walls 24 and 26. Wall 26 may be bent ove1 and down over the end of wall portion 32 to provide a reinforcing edge bead 34 extending over the width of the receptacle 10.

The reproduction apparatus 12 includes a lower front wall panel 36 and an upper front wall panel 38 having a horizontal original paper infeed aperture or slot 40 therebetween. The upper surface 42 of lower front panel 36 extends into the apparatus 12 to form an internal guide surface for the paper W being conveyed into the apparatus 12.

In order to attach the receptacle 10 to the apparatus 12, the latter includes an outwardly extending bracket 44 which is fastened to lower front wall panel 36. The bracket 44 may consist of an L-shaped an-gle iron having a horizontal upper ange 46 generally parallel to surface 42 of panel 36, but positioned somewhat lower than surface 42. The vertical depending flange 48 of bracket 44 is spaced from the front surface of panel 36 by a spacer 50 so as to produce a narrow gap 52 between bracket 44 and panel 36 at their upper ends.

The rear wall 20 of receptacle 10 includes an elongate aperture 54, which is encompassed by upper flange portion 56 and lower ange portion 58. When it is desired to mount receptacle onto the apparatus 12, the box-like section 14 is moved toward the apparatus so that the bracket 44 projects into the receptacle through aperture 54. As the flange portion 56 is vertically aligned with gap 52, the receptacle 10 is lowered until the inner surface of horizontal wall 16 rests on the upper surface of flange 46 of bracket `44. The receptacle 10 is now supported on bracket 44 so that the upper surface of wall 16 forms a guide surface coextensive with surface 42 of apparatus front panel wall 36. Lateral movement of the receptacle 10 relative to the apparatus 12 is restricted by contact between the ends of bracket 44 and the wall surfaces at each end of aperture 54. As is readily apparent, when extremely long rolled-up webs of paper W are to be processed through the apparatus 12, the operator places the web W into the trough 28, and draws the leading edge of the paper up and then along the upper surface of wall 16 toward the infeed slot 40.

When it is desired to use receptacle 10 only as a guide tray, it may be detached from the apparatus 12, and reversed as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, so that the bottom horizontal wall 22 now becomes the upper wall surface. The receptacle 10 is mounted on bracket 44 as before by inserting the latter through aperture S4. However, now ange portion 58 is the upper flange which is positioned between bracket 44 and panel 36 into gap 52. The horizontal flange 46 of bracket 44 supports the inner surface of wall 22. When mounted in this position on apparatus 12, the coextensive surfaces of 'wall 22 and wall portion 24 form a wider original paper guide surface than that provided by wall 16 when the respectacle is mounted in the reversed position.

From the foregoing, it becomes readily apparent that the present receptacle 10 may be simply and elfectively mounted on a reproduction apparatus 12 and converted from a guide tray and paper holder or storage receptacle into a guide tray surface of increased dimensions.

It should also be understood that the foregoing relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A convertible paper storage and guide receptacle for guiding continuous webs of originals to the receiving portion of a photocopy reproduction apparatus, said receptacle being reversely mountable on said apparatus whereby when mounted in a rst position, said receptacle comprises;

a generally trough-shaped paper Web receiving and storage portion,

a guide portion adapted to receive paper from said storage portion, said guide portion including rst guide surface means for guiding said paper into said apparatus,

and said receptacle when reversed so as to be mounted on said apparatus in a second position, thereby forming a guide tray, said guide tray including second guide surface means for guiding said paper into said apparatus.

2. A receptacle as dened in claim 1 wherein said second guide surface means is of generally greater length than said first guide surface means.

3. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein said receptacle guide portion is of generally rectangular crosssection,

one horizontal wall surface of said guide portion forming said first guide surface means.

4. A receptacle as dened in claim 3 wherein said paper storage portion comprises a wall member coplanar and coextensive with the other horizontal wall surface of said guide portion,

said wall member extending into an upstanding wall portion generally parallel to a first vertical wall of said guide portion so as to form said trough-shaped portion.

5. A receptacle as defined in claim 4 wherein when said receptacle is mounted in said second position so as to form said guide tray, said second paper guide surface means is constituted of said storage portion wall member and said other guide portion horizontal wall surface.

6. A receptacle as dened in claim 4 wherein the other vertical wall of said rectangular guide portion is positioned adjacent to said apparatus,

said last-said vertical wall including a generally elongate aperture so as to define depending upper and lower flange members,

said apparatus including an outwardly projecting support bracket adapted to engage at least one of said ange members and the inner surface of the upper or lower horizontal wall surface of said guide portion depending upon the mounting position of said receptacle relative to said apparatus, so as to removably mount said receptacle on said apparatus.

7. A receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein said receptacle is formed essentially of sheet metal sections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,097,721 5/1914 Koch 242-76 1,153,843 9/1915 Green 242-76 M. HENSON WOOD', JR., Primary Examiner RICHARD A. SCHACHER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

